It appears that the author of the Nov. 17 opinion piece "Virginia's broadband future on a precipice" is unfamiliar with the vibrant telecommunications marketplace in Hampton Roads and what Verizon's forbearance petition seeks.

Contrary to the author's bleak portrayal, Hampton Roads is among the most competitive areas in the country. Consequently, Verizon last year asked that the Federal Communications Commission consider lifting the provisions requiring the company to offer parts of its network to competitors at government-set, reduced wholesale prices. This request is limited to six highly competitive and mature market areas across the country. Hampton Roads is one of them - the only one in Virginia included in Verizon's petition.

Since the mid-1990s, federal and state legislators and regulators have passed laws and made rules to open the local telecommunications market to competition. And, by any measure, competition for local phone service is booming. Today, Virginians can choose from a wide variety of companies employing various technologies eager to provide them voice and broadband service - including land-line companies like Verizon, Cavalier and nTelos; cable companies like Comcast and Cox; wireless providers like AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile; and Internet-based providers like Vonage and Skype.

Consider that:

* The number of wireless phone subscribers in Virginia exceeds the number of land-line subscribers.

* Studies estimate that up to 16 percent of households nationwide have "cut the cord," relying exclusively on wireless phones for their voice service - and that figure is growing.

* Cox is already a major phone provider in Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia and Roanoke, and press reports predict that Comcast soon will be the fourth-largest phone provider in the nation.

* A Verizon-commissioned survey of customers found that 99 percent of households in Verizon's Virginia service area have access to at least two providers in addition to Verizon for their voice service. In the Hampton Roads area, 99 percent have a choice of at least five providers other than Verizon. In fact, when wireless and broadband are included, Verizon's land-line voice service constitutes only about 20 percent of the actual connections already existing in the homes of the surveyed consumers.

In Hampton Roads, this vibrantly competitive market has evolved at a quicker pace than regulations governing traditional land-line providers like Verizon. That is why Verizon asked the FCC to consider lifting some regulations. The FCC was given the authority and responsibility to do so in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. As market areas become competitive, the act envisioned the FCC loosening regulations so as not to hinder the continued growth of competition.

Forbearance from continued intervention by government in what should be a market-based transaction will result in a more realistic pricing structure based on commercial agreements between providers and will ultimately benefit, not harm, a competitive market by encouraging additional investment.

Indeed, when the FCC decided that telecom companies' broadband networks were not subject to such requirements, investment exploded and innovation blossomed. Verizon is investing $23 billion to upgrade to an all-fiber-optic network - hundreds of millions of dollars each year in Virginia. Essentially, Verizon is building a brand-new network from our offices all the way into consumers' homes to provide ultra-fast Internet access, superior TV and reliable voice service. We are offering these services to millions of consumers in Virginia and 15 other states where we're currently deploying this all-fiber network.

Unfettered competition - not continued regulation - spurs investment, innovation and value. That's the best future for Virginians, and Hampton Roads should lead the way.